Architecture Portfolio. Lavanya Radhakrishnan

Lavanya

Radhakrishnan

Architectural Designer, LEED Green Associate

Lavanya-Radhakrishnan

+1 (857) 234-3378

Lavanya Radhakrishnan - Portfolio Link ar.lavanyaradha@gmail.com

WORK EXPERIENCE

Smallwood - Architectural Designer I

• King David Towers Atlanta, Georgia 986,000 SqFt IBC 2018 (Georgia Amendments)

Mixed-Use Development - Refugee Housing Units, Community Centre, Multipurpose Auditorium

• GASWORX Parcel E1, E2, E3 | Ybor, Florida | 706,000 SqFt | FBC 2020 (7th edition), NFPA 101

Mixed-Use Development - Warehouse, Office, Retail, High-end Residential Units, Parking Deck

• The Beacon Hotel and Members Club Naples, Florida 110,000 SqFt FBC 2020 (7th edition)

Hospitality - Restaurants, 72 Keys Hotel room, Rooftop Lounge Club

• Montrose Development | Houston, Texas 831,000 SqFt | IBC 2015 (City of Houston Amendments)

Mixed Use Development Retail, Parking Deck, Office, High-end Residential Units

• Lake Oconee Estates and Beach Club Greensboro, Georgia 263 acres

Retirement Community Master Plan - Beach Club, Amenitites, Green Belt, Single-Family Lots

- Translated client requirements and brand standards into cohesive schematic architectural designs using Adobe Suite.

Atlanta, USA

Jul’23 - Mar’24

- Focused on producing of design development and construction documentation drawings using Autodesk Revit and Bluebeam

- Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams (MEP, Civil, Structural, and Landscape) to solve coordination items.

- Implemented best practices for sustainability and energy efficiency, contributing to LEED Silver certification.

- Produced sketches, 3D models, and renderings to communicate design concepts effectively using SketchUp and Enscape.

James W. Buckley & Associates - Architectural Intern

• Truetlen Co concessions and Baseball Fields | Soperton, Georgia Athletic Facility - 4 Baseball Field stands, Indoor Courts, Gym, Locker rooms facility

- Researched materials, products, and construction methods to inform design decisions.

- Generated construction documents on wall sections and truss roofing details using AutoCAD and Revit software.

- Assisted with 3D modeling using SketchUp and creating doors & window specifications.

DesignInk Architecture & Interior Design Firm - Junior Architect

• The Summer House | Chennai, India 7500 sqft area Commercial Development Restaurant, cafe, outdoor landcape, renovation project

• Two Trees Chennai, India Co-Working office Individual office Spaces, Common Lounge, Kitchen Layouts

• The Chettinad | Chennai, India | 4500 sqft Residential - Single Family House, residential turn-key project

- Created construction documents, furniture & electrical layouts, using AutoCAD and Microsoft Suite respectively.

- Actively pursued site supervision during the execution phase and organized client meetings.

- Coordinated with MEP and Civil engineers to adhere to design specifications throughout the construction phase.

Savannah, USA

Mar’23 - Jun’23

Chennai, India

Jun’20 Feb’21 &

Dec’17 - Apr’18

• Hotel Tashi Delek | Gangtok, India 80,000 SqFt

Hospitatlity - 56 key Hotel room, 2 restarants

• Ranka Hill Academy | Gangtok, India 9 acres College campus 7 buildings, Athletic facilites, Dorms

- Supported project teams in conducting site analysis and feasibility studies for various commercial projects.

- Demonstrated proficiency in creating 3d renderings using Lumion and making manual models for client presentations.

- Assisted senior architects in producing construction documents by working in AutoCAD.

CERTIFICATE & LICENSE

LEED Green Associate

GBCI#: 0011516269

Reporting Period Jan ’23 Jan ’25

Licensed Architect

COA - Council of Architecture (India)

CA/2020/126091

EDUCATION

Savannah College of Art and Design - Master of Architecture

- AIA Georgia Design Awards 2023 (Nominee)

- SCAD Achievement Grad Scholarship

- SCAD International Student Scholarship

School of Architecture & Planning, Anna University - Bachelor of Architecture

- Zonal NASA competition - Winners of ANDC & RUEBANS Trophy (Teamwork, India)

Gangtok, India

Jun’17 - Oct’17

Prashant Pradhan Architects - Architectural Intern India

Jul’20 Present

Savannah, USA

Mar’21 - May’23

Chennai, India

Aug’14 - May’19

1.

ILUSAO Winter and Spring 2022

TYPE Architectural Design, Detail Drawing, Timber Construction, Mixed-Use Typology

SCHOOL YEAR : First Year Grad School

TIME PERIOD : 10 weeks

SOFTWARES Revit, Enscape, Bluebeam, Photoshop, InDesign

USing IBC 2018 codes as a standard for design process.

VISION CONCEPT

Timber in the City 4 : Urban Habitats Competition 2022

PROJECT LOCATION

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

MUSIC PERSPECTIVE ILLUSIONS

The vision of the project is to design mid-rise, mixed-use typologies consisting of short stay housing, urban marketplace and community center. The challenge is to embrace new structural and ecological possibilities of wood construction.

STREET ARTS LIGHTING

The building skin is developed to maximize the sustainable performance of the building. The facade design of this building was developed from the idea of Perspective Illusion + Daylight analysis. The west sun hits harsh on the building facade making the interior space very uncomfortable,

Behind the concept of perspective illusions is to have the different types of users ( people using the transit everyday/often and the tourists) to have experience curiosity. To make their day a little more fun!

- Gallery / exhibition spaces

- Muesum of Illusions

- Workshops

- Youth learning workshops

- Co - Working spaces

- Painting walls room

- Amphitheatre

- Artists studios

- Classrooms

- Badminton Court

- Indoor pool

- Arcade room

- Food Courts

- Public Plaza

- Outdoor activity area

- Merchandise

SITE PLAN

SECTIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Residence

Art Hub

Urban Marketplace

Community Center

STRUCTURAL AXONOMETRIC

Thermal

Vertical Facade Fins

(Glue Laminated Beams)

Glulam Column 10 x 10

Glulam Laminated Beams

Facade Panel (45 degree angle)

Curtain Wall

The facade deveolopes an undulating building envelope which creates a rippled skin around both towers and breaks away from the traditional glass curtain wall. As a result, the towers appear as a classical shape with an organic pattern from a distance and as an elegant pleated structure from close-up. By folding parts of the envelope that would reduce solar loads and glare, a façade with closed and open parts oscillate between transparency to one side and opacity to the other. The closed parts provide high-insulation while blocking direct sunlight and providing views out.v

Pile Foundation

2ft wall for foundation

Link here for Technical Drawings for this project

FALL 2021

TYPE : Urban Design, Conceptual Architecture Proposal

SCHOOL YEAR First Year Grad School

TIME PERIOD 10 weeks

SOFTWARES : Photoshop, Indesign, Lumion, SketchUp, Figma

PROJECT LOCATION

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

Pictorial Representation

VISION

To develop a space for cultural convergence in the city of Savannah, by bringing in the audiences of surrounding cultural hubs and offerring a resilient and adaptable space in a rather rigid setting.

How can we break the pattern of rigid and single-use design solutions?

SITE LOCATION

PEDESTRIAN AND VEHICULAR FLOW

BUILDING USAGE

It is lined by two major streets, Oglethorpe Avenue on the North, and Liberty street to its south.

The Mongomery street passing through the site offers potential for pedestrian only movement.

The top and bottom edges of the site were fairly unused and had a very low visual connection with nearby congregation spaces.

The space was envisioned for cultural convergence in the city of Savannah by bringing in the audiences of surrounding cultural hubs and offer a resilient and adaptable space in a rather rigid setting.

Savannah, Georgia

CONNECTIVITY

The strategies translate into a plan which is rooted into its rich cultural context but is still open to a transformation after every couple of decades, adapting and responding to the changes in urban life.

MASSING

The 3 buildings on the upper part of the site which has an introverted built mass have a semi - private access and its own breakout space that follows the hierarchy that was discussed before.

MASTER PLAN

NODES

There are 5 pedestrian-only egress points on the site from important roads surrounding the site.

The entry point defines the connectivity and important paths of transit.

This further helped define 4 significant nodes, these nodes create a gathering space within the built mass.

SOCIAL CONVERGENCE

And, the placement of these nodes defines a central convergence space that attracts a vibrant crowd from around the block.

Central Pedestrian Street

Proposed Building

Pedestrian Walkway

Green Roof

Central Pedestrian Street

Social Convergence

Proposed Building

Entrance Plaza

Skywalk

Multi-storey Parking

Proposed Street Section

EXISTING STREET SECTION

PROPOSED STREET SECTION

Redesigned the streets to the North and South of our site keeping in mind pedestrian movement and reducing car parking space to increase green median space. This was achieved by adding bicycle tracks adjacent to pavements, and introducing a new pedestrian pathway along the median.

CONCEPTUAL SKETCHES

Proposed to move the parking lanes inward on the street with alternative green buffers in between. This solution reduces the parking space on the street by 50%, and encourages off-street parking. The residual offers space for biking lanes and pedestrian lanes in the midst of the lush green existing median of the busy streets.

PROGRAMME ARRANGEMENT

BUILDING ENVELOPE

THERMAL COMFORT

The forest layer adjacent to the envelope acts as a heat buffer and improves the micro-climate.

INCREASED AIR QUALITY

The green corridor between the steel panels and the glass enhances the air quality inside the building.

SYMBIOTISM - BIOPHILIA

The building offers opportunities for symbiotism and permits coexistence of the built with the natural environment.

ACOUSTIC CONTROL

The air buffer betwen the envelope and interior glass partitions acts as a noise absorption layer.

CONNECTION TO THE CITY

The openable and porous envelope design enables views and visual connectivity to the city of Savannah.

CONCEPTUAL EVOLUTION

9MX9M FLOOR PLAN

ASSEMBLY OF UNITS & INCIDENTAL VOIDS

STACKING PREFABRICATED FLOORS & ADDING STRUCTURAL FRAMING

ADDING URBAN FOREST IN LAYERS

ADAPTIVE GROWTH

DENTISTS OFFICE (4.5mx9m)

ARCHITECTS OFFICE (9mx9m)

ARTISTS COMMUNITY STUDIO (18mx18m)

DUPLEX RESIDENCE (648 sq.m.)

FINDING SOLITUDE

WINTER 2023 - SPRING 2023

TYPE Conceptual Design, Research paper, Hypothetical Design strategies

SCHOOL YEAR Second Year Grad School - THESIS

TIME PERIOD 20 weeks

SOFTWARES : Photoshop, Indesign, Lumion, SketchUp, Figma, Revit, Illustrator The illustration of being in solitude and being lonely (anonymous)

VISION

BOSTON,

Solitude is often conceived as the act of being alone.

Solitude is more than this; it is being with yourself in a comfortable environment. It is an individual’s experience of physical separateness and reflection of their thoughts, irrespective of location. Being alone can have an entirely unexpected positive experience on an individual, where one can find their balance with self and the world, leaving room for introspection and growth.

The research within the thesis exploration will create an experiential space that explores the idea of solitude and its psychological benefits in the urban context, with the influence of phenomenological human response to architecture.

MASSACHUSETTS PROJECT

Solitude does not mean being lonely, it is a precious freedom. Loneliness and solitude are close in definition but carry different meanings.

Theoretically, both words mean the same thing, a separation or disconnection from the world. However, there is a subtle difference between the two words.Loneliness is “the unpleasant feeling of longing for interaction with another person.

The study of phenomenology in architecture plays a crucial role in creating experiential spaces that foster a sense of solitude.

The research from an architectural perspective led me to two essential aspects that influence the experience of solitude. The senses and The elements.

First, it’s essential to understand the role of phenomenology in architectural design. Phenomenology studies subjective human experience and how people perceive and interact with their environment. In architecture, it explores how the design of a space can affect human behavior and emotions.

I enter a building, see a room, and in the fraction of a second – have this feeling about it.

-Peter Zumthor

Movie/Story Analysis

Alice in Wonderland Solitude ALICE

Alice in Wonderland is a classic story that explores themes of solitude, identity, and discovery. Alice is a young girl who finds herself traveling down a rabbit hole into a strange and surreal world. Throughout her journey, Alice is forced to confront her innermost thoughts and feelings as she discovers new worlds and meets curious characters. The transformation of consciousness occuring when she enters the portal in her dreams and experiences various emotions. This analysis is comparing the experience of analysis to the a person experiencing solitude.

As she ventures deeper into the unknown, Alice begins to question her identity and sense of self, as well as the meaning of life and existence. In the end, she comes to realize that her own strength and courage are all she needs to find her way back home. Alice in Wonderland is a timeless tale that speaks to the power of solitude, and the importance of finding the courage to explore our own innermost depths.

Falling down a pit

Lost -----> Helpless

Impression of Alice- mistreated - misjudged - undecisive

Imagination ---> memory of wonderland

manipulation of time and space

The idea of the portal of Alice’s own wonderland is the inspiration for having my own portal to solitude.

Spiralling into loneliness

Lost of identity

Impression of humans in societal environment- social constraints - social jusdgements

Imagination ---> Nothing “real” from the world

manipulation of time and space

Building upon our discussion of the architecture of solitude, a few case studies influenced the design decisions.

Solitude can be a powerful end result of architecture and observation.

Comparing and contrasting the historical and modern buildings will give us an insight into how architects of both eras have used architectural elements to affect the human memory, i.e., the mind. It is also to understand how material, structure, light, and composition influence our emotions and cognitive senses.

This can be experienced through the act of contemplation, in which one observes the environment. without the need for interaction or input.

The study is to understand why solitude was mainly shared in spiritually significant places (cathedrals) and if the same essence of solitude translates into modern buildings.

Observation

Solitude can be benefitial to all age groups, the user groups can be mainly into 2 groups.

“….the degree of slowness is directly proportional to the intensity of memory: the degree of speed is directly proportional to the intensity of forgetting…”

Professional | Students

The target group is students, where the every student from undergraduate studies to masters to a person studying PHD experience stress and pressure to acheive academic results.

The aim is to create a space through the use of solitude to reduce the stress and allow the student de-compress. A space where they feel calm, creative, reflection of thoughts, wonder, and inspiration.

In summary, Emotions result in a sense of space, comfort, and contemplation. Using the impact of materiality in architecture, which guides through time, the play of light in the positive and negative episodes of solitude.

Using the senses, spatial quality, time, materiality, light, landscape, and human emotions will result in a fundamental and collective experience of solitude.

Commercial zone ( banks, healthcare)

Educational Institute

Residencial Retail and restaurants

152,000 Colleges, Universities, Commuity colleges. Students

For this thesis, I grouped my users according to professionals and students, where I am focusing on the students. After analyzing the universities in cities worldwide, Boston is one of the cities that can be explored, with significant universities widely known, Harvard, MIT, etc.

Due to the high student population and the university ranking, the students face,

- STRESS, ACADEMIC PRESSURE TO PERFORM WELL, ASSIGNMENTS, SOCIETAL PRESSURE. Etc.

The site is hidden behind an old bookstore and a church, where the access is through a small alley between the two buildings.

The portal to solitude (by author)

The approach to the site is highly dependent on the user’s psychological journey. The site access is narrow, small, and camouflaged to the surroundings. This brings my connection back to the first review with the act of observation.

The design evolution led to considering the surrounding context and approach to the site. A line from the entrance to the end of the side was drawn to know the extent of vision.

Axis line,

Axis line,

Design development (by author)

Contemplate. Reconnect with yourself. Ready to contine your day.

entrance extent of visiblity - curiosity of placing water

entrance extent of visiblity curiosity of placing water

The wide entrance to broaden the mind while continuing the journey throught the site with keeping the curiosity, which results in distracting their train of thoughts from outside. Contemplate. Reconnect with yourself. Ready to contine your day.

Conceptual Proposal

entrance extent of visiblity curiosity of placing water

People Watching

The idea of movement through the site was to have a whole experience where they pause, recollect their thoughts, and eventually exit the site.

The wide entrance to broaden the mind while continuing the journey throught the site with keeping the curiosity, which results in distracting their train of thoughts from outside.

Conceptual Proposal

The wide entrance to broaden the mind while continuing the journey throught the site with keeping the curiosity, which results in distracting their train of thoughts from outside.

Conceptual Proposal

The wide entrance to broaden the mind while continuing the journey throught the site with keeping the curiosity, which results in distracting their train of thoughts from outside.

Conceptual Proposal

Axonometric view of contextual site (by author)

Master Plan (by author)

After the user engages in the public reflection area, they can transition into the private reflection pods for more private and seclusion use.

The singular structure located here is the individual reflection pods, empty rooms with minimal furniture, and visual access to the outside to strip the thoughts down to a narrowly focused reflection. Here, the dominance of vision over the other senses takes place. As visual access to the calm and still ponds on the outside, reflecting the emotions of peace and tranquility.

The inspiration for this idea of having sky roofs is from the James Tourelle exhibition, similarly, here, a person is allowed to experience the natural light as a form of positive or negative solitude and open space, as an opportunity to reflect or connect with their thoughts. They transition from close to open space and directly commune with nature.

Isometric view of the building

Sectional Isometric

4.

THE URBAN CATALYST

AN INTERPRETATION IN AN URBAN CONTEXT

WINTER 2019

LOCATION Chennai, India

TYPE Urban Design, Conceptual Architecture Proposal, Adaptive Re-use

SCHOOL YEAR : Senior year undergrad

TIME PERIOD : 6 months

SOFTWARES Photoshop, Indesign, Lumion, SketchUp, Illustrator

PROJECT LOCATION

The project aims to potray the awareness and the problems the cities are facing because of concrete structures overshadowing the green spaces. Plan designed on two dimensional plans have no consideration for public spaces and does not answer the true users of the space. This is the reason why people neglect space.

There is a gap between how users use and perceive urban spaces and designers designing the spaces. Including the users in design process can help unfolding these various potential of voids better urban public spaces therefore improving quality of life.

“If we look at the history of the cities we can clearly see that urban structures and planning influence human behaviour and the ways in which cities operate”

- Jan Gehl

CHENNAI, INDIA

PLATFORM VENDORS ZONE

SHOPPING & FOOD STALL ZONE ACTIVITY

5.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Smallwood - Architectural Designer I

- Translated client requirements and brand standards into cohesive schematic architectural designs using Adobe Suite.

- Focused on producing of design development and construction documentation drawings using Autodesk Revit and Bluebeam

- Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams (MEP, Civil, Structural, and Landscape) to solve coordination items.

- Implemented best practices for sustainability and energy efficiency, contributing to LEED Silver certification.

- Produced sketches, 3D models, and renderings to communicate design concepts effectively using SketchUp and Enscape

GASWORX Parcel E1, E2, E3 | Ybor, Florida 706,000 SqFt FBC 2020 (7th edition), NFPA 101

Mixed-Use Development - Warehouse, Office, Retail, High-end Residential Units, Parking Deck

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT:

• FLOOR PLANS,

• ENLARGED PLANS,

• BUILDING SECTIONS,

• BUILDING & STOREFRONT ELEVATIONS

• DOOR SCHEDULE INCLUDING HARDWARE SELECTION,

• LIFE SAFETY DRAWINGS FOR ALL THREE BUILDINGS (E!, E2, E3)

• STAIR AND VERTICAL PENETRATIONS SHEETS

• BOMA CALCULATIONS AND AREA SUMMARY FOR PARCEL E2

• LANDSCASE DRAWINGS ADN 3D RENDERS

• MODELLING CHANGES AND ADDITIONS

• COORDINATION CHANGES

• MEE TING MINUTES

6.

THE T WO TREES WINTER 2018

LOCATION Chennai, India

TYPE Co-Working space, Renovation, Interior design

SCHOOL YEAR : Architectureal designer at DesignInk Architecture & Interior Firm

TIME PERIOD : 4 months

SOFTWARES : Photoshop, SketchUp, AutoCAD

The exisitng building needed renovation where the first floor was converted into a co-working space where the users owned startup companies. They need a fun and interactive co-working offices with common areas. The bright colours were used to enhance the common areas. Different zones were included with interactive zone, wifi zone, coffee zone. The wall art was done to make the space feel ore vibrant and energetic.

Contribution to this design

- research on conceptual ideas

- Selection of quotes and artistic elements on the walls

- Furniture layout drawings

- produced detailed contruction drawings

- worked with MEP contractors with the design execution

The yellow indicates the co-working spaces designed by the team.

SECOND FLOOR | CO-WORKING SPACE

Wifi-Zone

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

Kindly let me know if you have any further questions, thank you

ar.lavanyaradha@gmail.com | +1 (857) 234-3378